We'll All Be Faced With Problems
by ElectroNerd
Summary: I've got so much to deal with in life. Adoption practically ruining my life, an overly-obsessive ex-nonboyfriend, and some mortal terror of thunderstorms and spiders. At least I've got a wonderful boyfriend, Riku. OC/Riku... Discontinued.
1. Making Plans

**Hey hey! I've redone this chapter soo... it's a bit longer and better. I proofread it and realized how many mistakes there were! Augh, kill me now!**

**Disclaimer!**

**Me: I don't, and never will, own Kingdom Hearts.**

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Chapter 1: Making Plans

"Why don't you ever write stories anymore?" Kairi asked, dipping a french fry in a pool of ketchup.

_ Because I lost the will to write, _I thought. "I just type faster, that's all." I glared at Kairi. She retreated to eating her lunch.

I told her not to mention anything about my writing. I had to quit writing over the summer because my parents claimed that I needed to 'advance in the world' and took away all my journals, leaving a laptop in their place. I was furious; my journals had all my best stories in them, and then they just went 'poof!' gone.

The laptop had seemed so foreign on my writing desk. I would just stare at it for hours, wondering how this piece of bolts and wires was even remotely better than a paper-pencil combo. Eventually I would turn it on, watching the loading screen flash before me. I would enter the pass code that my parents forced me to make up because they didn't want me constantly bugging them about getting the password to 'play' on my laptop.

But, to my surprise, that emerald-colored laptop grew on me. I started getting on it everyday, not realizing that every time I got on, I was distancing myself further and further from writing by hand. If I had known this was going to happen, I would've thrown that thing in the dump months ago; or given it to charity.

"Hey, Rose. You look like you've got a lot on your mind." Riku slipped into the seat next to mine.

I returned to Earth from my thoughts and put my head on his shoulder. He had to be the best boyfriend a girl could ever have. Kairi's always trying to tell me how many girls wish they were in my shoes. I always just shrug her off.

"Yeah. I've been thinking a lot lately. And she," I shot a glare at Kairi, "Won't quit bugging me about my past of writing."

Kairi refused to make eye contact with me and turned to Riku. "Riku, maybe you can get something out of her! She's like an open book around you!"

I tried to seem serious, but the grin on my face told otherwise. "Am not, Kairi!"

Riku wrapped an arm around me. "Oh c'mon, Rose. You have to admit, you kind of _are_ an open book around me."

I looked up at him. "What? Are you and Kairi double-teaming on me now?"

We all laughed. Sora slid into the seat next to Kairi and her face instantly turned red.

"Hey, Kai! How goes it?" Sora chirped.

Kairi focused her blue eyes on her lunch. "I-I'm fine, Sora. How 'bout you?"

Sora wrapped an arm around her. "I'm fine, but Kai, what's wrong? You seem off."

Riku glared at both of them. Dang, he could be pretty scary if he wanted to. "Why are you two acting so wierd?"

Kairi and Sora apologized at the same time, sheepish looks on their faces. "Sorry."

I felt Riku's arm tense up and I knew he was getting irritated. "That didn't answer my question."

"Umm, Riku," I looked up at him, trying to calm him down. "You don't need to be so tense with them. It is, after all, their 2nd month-i-versary." The last part came out as a whisper. If Sora forgot, it would seem unfair for me to remind him.

Riku sighed and abandoned his verbal assault on the innocent couple. Sometimes, in this world, or so Riku tells me, I am the only thing that can calm him down. I wondered if this was one of those times.

While Riku and I were distracted, Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out a small navy blue box. At the same time, Kairi pulled a small box wrapped in blue-and-white 'I LUV U' gift wrapping paper that had a giant silver bow on it. Then that means neither of them forgot.

"Happy Anniversary." They both said at the same time.

Riku and I let out small relaxed sighs as they exchanged presents. It was nice watching the get along, considering how long it took for them to admit their feelings for each other. Kairi knocked Riku and I together, claiming that we would be perfect for each other. We started going out for her sake, but after about a month, we realized that we really _did_ like each other. You couldn't call it a miracle, just love's work.

Riku pulled me close and kissed my forehead. I rose up a little and kissed his cheek. Sora and Kairi were fussing over who should open their presents first.

"Hey, you guys. Why don't you," Riku stopped mid-sentence and looked at me.

"Just open the presents at the same time?" I finished for him.

That was just something we did. We were just so in synch, we could finish each other's sentences. One quality that, as they admitted themselves, Sora and Kairi might never have.

Sora and Kairi looked at each other, at us, at the presents, and then back at each other. They nodded and smiled. "Could you count us down?" Sora asked.

"Sure." Riku replied.

"Wait." I said as I fumbled around in my purse for my phone. I wanted them to remember this; it wasn't for me. They would always forget things, even important events like this. One quality that, as we admitted, Riku and I might never have.

When I finally found my phone, I pressed the record button and motioned to Riku. "Count us down, my trusty cadet!" I said cheerfully.

Riku chuckled and replied, "Sure thing, captain!" He looked at Sora and Kairi and said, "Three... Two... One..."

"PRESENT TIME!" Riku and I said at the same time. We laughed a little and turned to Sora and Kairi again.

Sora and Kairi took our cue and started opening their gifts. I loved catching the surprised looks on their faces. It turns out Sora got Kairi a pair of cushion-cut diamond earrings, and Kairi got Sora those new Nike's he wanted. I caught them both trying to hide tears of happiness as they gazed at their presents.

I smiled and pressed the 'Stop' button on my phone and stuffed it back in my purse. I was about to say something when Riku's phone started ringing. He apologized softly before picking up.

"Hello? Oh, hey Selphie." I heard a soft murmur coming from the phone. "I know I can, but I'm not sure about the others." More murmuring. "Okay." Riku moved the phone from his ear, but I could tell he hadn't hung up yet. "Hey, Selphie wants us to go to the island with her. You want to?"

Sora and Kairi had already put away their presents, and were talking over their lunch, sharing a cookie. When they acknowledged the question, Sora's shoulders slumped and Kairi sighed.

"I can't. I got completely crammed with homework." Sora looked on the verge of tears again.

Kairi looked just as disappointed. "I can't either. Naminé and I made plans to meet at the library to study for a math test. Sorry."

Riku looked at me, his viridian eyes pleading me to come. Well, it's not like I have anything better to do, and it would be nice to spend some time with everyone outside of school lunch.

"Sure, I'll go with you. What time should I leave?" I looked up at Riku and smiled.

Riku beamed and said, "Don't worry. I'll call you before I come pick you up. So... just be ready before I get there."

I nodded and saw Riku pull the phone up to his ear. "Selphie, you still there? Okay, so Sora and Kairi can't come." I heard more murmurs. "Sora has a mountain of homework and Kairi made study plans with Naminé. But Rose and I are coming." Riku nodded at the never-ending murmurs of Selphie's voice and said, "Okay, I'll see you at 8, then. Bye." Riku hung up.

"So, we're leaving at 8?" I asked.

"Yeah. Are you sure your parents will let you out that late?" Riku was pretty concerned when it came to my parents.

"They probably will if you ask them to. They seem to love you more than they love me." I sighed. That was one more wonderful thing about Riku. Almost all adults love him. Even the strictest parents would probably enjoy his company. He just has a way with people...

"Umm... okay. Yeah, I'll umm, see you at 8." Riku stumbled over his words.

I looked up and gave him a reassuring smile, silently dismissing the subject of my parents.

Sora's voice startled me a little. I had almost forgotten he was there, and it was the same with Kairi. "Hello? Earth to R and R!"

R and R is what everyone calls us. Sora came up with the nickname and Kairi, being as popular as she is, spread it around. Sora said it just came to him one day, upon realizing that both of our names begin with 'R' and we were a couple, so he just walked in and started calling us R and R. Thus the nickname was born.

"Sorry." I said for Riku and I. Riku gave them the most apologetic look he could.

"You two. Always in your own little worlds." Kairi tried to seem like she pitied us, shaking her head.

I smirked. "It's not like you guys don't do it, too!"

We all laughed again as the bell rang. We grabbed our trays and set them on the kitchen window.

Sora and Kairi took a left down the hallway and Riku and I took a right. We waved goodbye as we got farther and farther away.

Riku's class was at the end of the hallway, but mine was across the courtyard.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you to class?" Riku asked me.

"Thanks, but no. If you do, you'll be late to class." I said.

Riku looked away and mumbled, "I don't mind."

I shook my head when he looked back at me. "But I do. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

Before he could respond, I got on my toes and kissed his cheek, squeezed his hand, waved, and started walking away.

"Bye, Rose." Riku exclaimed down the hall.

"Bye, Riku." I turned around and blew him another kiss before swinging open the double doors that led out to the courtyard.

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**Yeah... this chappy needed a ton of fixing... when I first typed this I wasn't that good of an author, so... But now I'm better, and soon, maybe my chapters will be more than 4 thousand words each! It might happen in this story... we never know! :D Review, please!**


	2. Not You Again!

**This chapter has the same situation as chap. 1... Longer, better, less mistakes... Do you catch my drift?**

**Disclaimer:**

**If I stopped writing this, Riku and Sora and Kairi would still be here... So no I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

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Chapter 2: Not You Again!

I took a deep breath of the cool fall air. I would've wished it was like this all the time until _he_ showed up.

"Rose, it's nice to see you again." The arrogant voice from my past made memories rush into my head.

My body reacted before my mind did and I swerved around to meet those dark blue eyes that I resented so much. "Siefer. What do you want?"

Siefer's signature Cheshire Cat smile crossed his face. "I want you back, baby."

I scowled at him. "Back? I was never yours to begin with. Plus, I already have a boyfriend. He's much better than you could _ever_ be!"

With that, I stormed off, part of me hoping he wouldn't follow me, part of me knowing he would, and part of me wishing I had let Riku walk me to class.

I broke into a run, and tripped over my untied shoe. With a small yelp, I fell to the ground, skidding across the pavement a little. I felt pain ripple through my body, all of it originating at my knee.

I got up and tried to keep running again, but my knee slowed me down. I needed to get away from here! Why couldn't adrenaline be on my side right now and not let my injuries slow me down until _after_ the situation was over? I slowed to a walk, but was caught from behind and pushed against a wall. I was forced to slide down it, the rough bricks of the school wall rubbing against my back. I winced, but I still tried to get up, only to be stopped by Seifer.

"You can't run from me now, Rose. You thought that by moving to Radiant Garden High you could escape me. But, as soon as I found out you went here, I packed up some bags and followed you out here. Sure, my parents will find out I'm gone, and rush over here to take me back to Twilight Town, but I'll be sure to make you mine before that happens." His Cheshire grin crawled back onto his face as he pulled out his Swiss Army pocketknife.

"What are you doing with that?" I pointed at the small knife.

He twirled it around in his hand. "Oh... just showing you what happens when you resist me." He turned the knife toward my knee and started to lower it.

As soon as I realized what he was doing, I grabbed his arm to try and stop him, but I knew it wouldn't do anything. One could say I lack in physical strength, while he excels in it.

The tip of the knife started digging its way into my knee. My arm dropped in surrender, knowing I couldn't put a stop to this now. Siefer tilted the knife so it now layed across my knee, with the serrated edge digging into it. I yelled out in pain.

"What would happen if Riku were here?" I mumbled under my breath.

Sure enough, as if I had summoned him, Riku bolted onto the scene. I tried to smile at him but the pain was too great. All I could do was keep my eyes shut, trying my best to fight the oncoming threat of tears. I whimpered and tried throwing punches, but Siefer simply grabbed my arm and held it in place.

"What are you doing to her?" Riku yelled.

Siefer hadn't noticed Riku walk up to us. When he looked up, Riku was about a yard away from us. Siefer obviously didn't know who he was, so he just assumed that Riku didn't like me.

Riku repeated his question, but this time with the ever-growing tone of anger in his voice. "I said, what are you doing to her?" Riku wasn't yelling this time, but he didn't have to. He sounded scary enough; I couldn't even begin to imagine the glare coming out of those piercing viridian eyes. I cracked my eyes open and tried to assess the damage my knee was taking, but I couldn't focus. Giving up on that, I looked up at Siefer, my eyes also catching the sight of Riku standing behind him, a little to the left.

Siefer shrugged his shoulders and continued what he was doing, not even daring to look up again. Smart move, but the best move would've been to bolt at even the sound of Riku's voice. "This one's taken, so keep moving, friend."

I tried to keep my yells of pain in check, and I somewhat succeeded, keeping them down to a low whimper. Without knowing it, I may have whispered, "Please... Make him stop..."

This was all it took. Riku lunged at Siefer, knocking him to the ground and knocking the knife out of his reach. I watched as it skidded across the pavement and near the base of a flower tree. In just a few seconds Riku had Siefer pinned on the ground. If you thought Siefer excelled in strength, you should see Riku.

"First of all, Rose is _my_ girlfriend. Secondly, who do you think you are to treat a girl like that?" Riku practically growled at Siefer.

Without Siefer's response, Riku quickly got bored. He quickly lifted his arm and hit Siefer on his neck, on that one sensitive spot that can completely paralyze you for a few minutes. But that was all Riku needed.

Before I knew it, I was on Riku's back and we were on our way to the nurse's office. Riku kept his eyes forward, not willing to look at all his classmates as they eyed us walking down the hall. I knew they were staring at me, and I uncertainly took a glance at my knee. It was bleeding enough so that the blood left a small trail of red droplets. If it was like that, then it must be all over Riku's hand.

"Riku, I-" I wanted to apologize for everything he just had to do.

"Shh." Riku looked over his shoulder at me. "I'm going to walk you to class from now on." I could tell by the way he put it and the way his voice sounded that this was not a question. He's not taking 'no' for an answer.

"Okay." I said. There was no point in arguing.

I heard some snickers coming from a group of girls in the hallway. Just one glare from Riku shut them right up. A part of me smiled. _Don't mess with Riku!_ I thought.

The nurse saw us coming through the window in her office. I heard a series of small clicks as she unlocked and opened the door. Riku set me down on the navy blue cot they had in here and proceeded to the sink to wash dried blood off his hands. I made a mental note to apologize for that later. The white paper underneath me made a crinkling noise as I tried to get comfortable.

The nurse studied my knee. "What happened?" She looked at me with those dark brown eyes.

What should I say? That a guy I know started putting a knife in my knee? "I..." I began.

"She fell," Riku said firmly as he dried his hands. "On a sharp rock."

I looked at him, thanking him with my eyes. He smiled back. I loved that silent connection we had. It gave us the ability to talk without actually 'talking.' It helped out lots at times like this.

"Are you sure that's what happened?" The nurse looked like she obviously wasn't buying it.

"Yeah. He was there. I was walking when I tripped on my shoelace and fell on a rock that just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. My knee started bleeding and Riku helped me up onto his back, and I think you can infer about the rest." At least I wasn't lying completely. I _had_ tripped on my shoelace.

The nurse finally bought our story and told us, "Okay. If that's what really happened, I believe you. Now, I'll be back in about 15 minutes. I have to run to the store to get the right supplies for your injury. Be good until I gt back and don't do anything too serious!" I felt my face get hot when she motioned to Riku from behind him and winked. I could only hope he didn't notice.

When she left, I listened to the clicks of her heels fall fainter and fainter as she walked down the hallway. I got a bad feeling inside that Riku would be asking lots of questions, and that I would have to answer all of them.

"Rose, who was that guy?" Riku asked me. His voice was stern but his calming gaze betrayed any signs of it. He moved over to sit next to me on the cot.

I tried to brush off the topic. "That guy? What guy? I don't know what you're talking about, silly Riku!" I let out a nervous laugh and averted my gaze.

"Rose, please be honest with me. I want to keep you safe. So please, just tell me who that guy was." Riku was serious about this.

I couldn't keep up the games anymore. If Riku's really as serious about this as I think he is, this will be my last chance to give him an answer before he gives upon the question entirely. I took a deep breath. "He's... my..." I couldn't do this.

"He's your what?" Riku wasn't going to tolerate procrastination anymore.

I knew that I had to finish. I had already started; no point in stopping now. I took another deep breath and said, "He's my ex-boyfriend."

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**Das chapter 2! :D Review!**


	3. Painful Memories and More Problems

**Basically all the chapters up to seven have been redone, so I can stop saying this, right?**

**Disclaimer:**

**...If I owned Kingdom Hearts... I wouldn't be here writing this, would I?**

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Chapter 3: Painful Memories and More Problems

"What?" Riku sounded shocked but the glint in his eyes told me he saw it coming. Am I really that predicatable?

I focused my gaze on the floor. I couldn't look at him now. My secret was out then. He's the first person who actually knows. I could've told my parents, but they would forget after 30 seconds. They neglected me, and I neglected them right back. They would only pay attention to their lone child if they heard Riku's name. And even then they barely listened.

I heard Riku shift on the cot. He put a gentle hand under my chin and lifted it so I was forced to look at him. He gazed into my eyes. "Green. The color that represents calmness." He smiled a bit. "So why do you get so stressed about him?"

I looked deep into his viridian eyes, trying my best to find the answer he wants to hear. My attempts ended in failure. Riku was like a safe; you were always dying to know what lies behind that big metal door, but you don't have the combination to the lock, and only he does. I, on the other hand, what to live like that; a safe, but I'm wide open around Riku. He just has the right combination.

But, there was always my other safe. The one that held every negative thing in my life. No one could ever even get near that safe. Nobody except Riku. At first I was reluctant about letting him in this far. But he... he's different from everyone else. At first, he struggled with the lock, trying all the numbers he knew, but to no avail. But, I went soft on him. He got the first number in my combo when he saw what was happening outside. I had given it to him without realizing it. The second number came when I told him about Siefer. It will take all I have not to give him the third number. If he opens the final safe, I really _will_ be an open book, as Kairi had pointed out.

"I... I don't- I wouldn't call it stressed." I stammered.

"Well, whatever you call it, I don't like seeing you like that. If he comes back, tell me." Riku ran his fingers through my jet black hair.

"Riku... That guy's name..." I was suddenly aware of what I was doing. I was sending him down the path to the third number.

"What's his name?" Riku asked me.

"His name... is Siefer." I whispered.

Riku's eyes widened just the slightest bit. "Siefer... no wonder he looked familiar. That guy was a real jerk back in Twilight Town." Riku shook his head.

"Wait, Twilight Town? You went to Twilight Town Middle? How come I never saw you there?" I was in utter shock.

"No, silly. My little sis was there. I would chaperone for events. She went to Twilight Town Elementary. And she's not in middle school yet. She's in 5th grade. Anna was in first grade when Siefer and I met." Riku chuckled at my expression.

"But how do you know Siefer?" This is what I really wanted to know.

"Oh, him. His little brother was in the same class as my sister. If we both volunteered to chaperone, we were both picked. He would always try to get on my nerves, but he could never snap me. Back then, he was classified as a 'jerk.' Now that he's hurt you, he's classified under 'target-of-revenge.' Oh, and I'll let you be a part of that delivering of revenge." His gaze remained firm, but he smiled at me. He really was confusing. "But anyway. Enough about me. How do you know him?"

I'm sending him further down the road. "I don't know him that well. Back at Twilight Town Middle, one of my friends had a crush on him. She wasn't brave enough to talk to him herself, so she sent me instead. I wasn't even remotely interested in him in any way, shape, or form, and now he's given me reasons to resent him. Anyway, I just took a direct approach. That was my mistake. After a few months, my friend and Siefer got together. But Siefer would always sneak off to come see me. I would always send him off, giving him a big bowl of 'Not Interested Stew.' But he couldn't take the hint. After a few weeks, he broke up with my friend and started spreading rumors that he and I were going out. I would ignore him in the hallway and try to stay as far away from him as possible. He still refused to take a hint and waited until..." My voice trailed. Reviving such memories should be illegal. There are just some painful things we keep locked away from the world. But my lock is slipping. Everything is starting to leak out...

Riku leaned into me. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. "Until what?"

"Until the day of the play." I said, trying to keep my voice from cracking. "Before the 'Events of Siefer,' the school had decided to cast a play. I had gotten the female lead and Siefer got the male lead. I didn't want to go to the dumb thing after what had happened, but the administrators made me. Right near the end of the play, Siefer turned and kissed me in front of the entire school." I fought back tears.

"Wasn't that in the script, though?" Riku asked. He had leaned back and deserted the grip on my chin he had right before we had begun explaining everything.

"No, it wasn't. He did that just to embarrass me. That's why- HE'S the reason I transferred here, Riku." I fought to keep my tone even. No tears? I was crying silent tears. "He told me that I belonged to him!" My calmness shattered and I really started crying, but I felt like I left the explanation unfinished. "I will _never_ belong to him!" I soon realized that my explanation had gone up in flames; it was probably way too jumbled up for even Riku to understand. I know I probably looked horrible, too, being the giant teary mess I am now. I hated crying.

But Riku didn't seem to mind. I felt his strong, steady arms come around me, and I indulged in his comforting words. "Shh, Rose. I'm sorry I asked you about him. If I could've stopped him from doing that-"

I cut him off. "Then I wouldn't be here. If Siefer never did that, then I would've never met you, or Kairi, or Sora, and I'd still be back in Twilight Town." I looked up and smiled at him with a small sniffle.

Riku shook his head and smiled. "You're right. And if you never came here, I wouldn't be able to do this."

He leaned into me, and the next thing I knew, I was pulled into a gentle kiss. Riku pressed his lips against mine, his eyes slipping closed. I gasped, and the kiss deepened. Something warm and smooth moved into and around in my mouth as Riku pulled me closer. It tasted like strawberries... I blushed when I realized that his tounge was in my mouth. Riku's tounge.

In my mouth.

Wow. Nothing I could have ever done would have prepared me for this moment: My first true kiss. And, as I've read in books...

Riku was a dang good kisser. I smiled internally as I felt the chains on my heart slip off, melting away, and being replaced by strong arms.

Riku's arms.

Riku just found the third number, opening the safe that is my heart. At least, now I can live up to the title of 'Riku's open book.' And you know, I kind of like that title. If I had to belong to anyone...

I would belong to Riku.

When he pulled away, we just gazed into each other's eyes, him holding me in his arms. I smiled up at him.

Riku's face turned red and he rubbed a hand on the back of his head, ruffling his silver hair into a mess. "Ahh, Rose, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that! I don't know what-"

I cut him off one more time. "No. It's okay. You were completely right to do that; I feel much better now, anyway." I reached up and fixed his hair. "Don't mess your hair up, silly."

When I finished, Riku smiled at me. "So, that's the next step in our relationship?" He asked.

I smiled some more and nodded, my hand going up and twirling some of my hair around my finger. "Yeah. You got the right combination, and now I really _am_ an open book. Your open book."

A look of confusion crossed his face. "Combination? Open book? What are you talking about?"

I guess I never mentioned this to him. "You got the right combination to unlock the safe that is my heart. Since you've done that, there's nothing for me to hide anymore, therefore Kairi was right. I really am an open book now." I said, walking him through my very well thought out explanations of me. Although I was really excluding something... Something that no one should ever find out about...

"Hmm. That makes sense." Riku smiled at me.

Just then, we heard the door clicking. The nurse was back. I tried to get up and cross the room to sit in one of the chairs over there, but my knee disagreed strongly. I stumbled a little and almost fell. Riku was helping me regain my balance when the nurse finally got the door open and walked in.

"Rose, are you trying to walk? After the injury you've gotten? I don't think so." She rummaged around in a giant plastic bag, pulling out a large gray box, a few bottles of liquid, and some bandages. "I told the pharmacist about your situation, and he said that I should wrap up your knee. He also said that- surprise!- you shouldn't walk on it for a few days!" She tried to look as perky as she sounded, but all she accomplished was looking bored.

"What?" I asked, disgruntled. I glanced at Riku to see if he was just as shocked as I was. No emotions, which was almost expected because the nurse was here, but I'll admit. I was a little disappointed.

"I said you shouldn't-" the nurse was interrupted by me.

"I heard what you said." I held up a hand and looked at the floor. Not being able to walk? Am I supposed to use crutches or something? _How can this day get any better?_ I thought sarcastically.

"Whatever. Anyway, since you're not walking, you'll need some assistance if you want to do anything. So he," The nurse jabbed a finger at Riku,"will be the person to deliver that assistance."

This just kept getting better and better. Not ony have Siefer's actions and my reactions caused me trouble, but now Riku's getting involved, too? There's no way I can make this up to him! "Riku, you-" I said.

"Alright. I'll help her out. Where should I start?" Riku acted as if I hadn't spoken. He got up and turned to the nurse.

I just stared at them both wide-eyed. Why couldn't Sora or Kairi or at least someone in my classes- at least someone in my GRADE do these things for me? I tried to speak up again, but with a different reason. "Riku, aren't-"

"Rose." Riku turned to me, his viridian eyes telling me to calm down. "I _want_ to help you. You know you don't want to explain this to Sora or Kairi, and you know they would keep bugging you about your shoes." I could tell by the way his eyes lit up a little that he was choosing his words carefully so the nurse didn't get any ideas that we were lying.

Translation: Rose, I really do wat to help you. If you try to tell Sora and Kairi about a 'rock,' you know they won't believe you, and you'll have to tell them about Siefer, and I don't want to take the risk of you breaking down and crying again. Plus, they would become really paranoid about him. Just let me help you. I can do it.

I knew Riku was right. I really _didn't_ want to tell Sora or Kairi about this; it would only worry them out of their minds. I decided that, if Riku could dodge this last 'bullet,' then I would surrender. "But Riku, we're in different grades."

That made everyone stop for a few moments. Riku was about to say something when my phone rang. I rummaged through my purse and found the thing. My parents. They always call at the worst times. I looked at Riku apologetically. His gaze told me that this call was inevitable. I nodded.

"Hello?" I said.

"Rose, we need to talk to you. Are you alone?" I heard my mom's voice on the other side of the line.

"No, mom. I'm in the clinic with Riku and the nurse." As soon as I said that, I knew I had said too much.

"Then get up and leave." My dad's deep voice stated on the other end of the line.

"I can't." Might as well tell the whole story in just a few sentences.

I heard a sigh on the other end. "Then tell them to leave."

I looked at Riku. His calming gaze told me that he understood. The nurse seemed clueless as he practically dragged her out of the room.

I smiled after him and said into the phone, "Okay, they're gone. What do you want?"

"We got a call from the school earlier." Great. Are they calling to demote me from 10th grade to 9th again?

"Okay, what does that have to with me?" _Everything,_ I thought as I rolled my eyes.

"They called to tell us that you're going to skip a grade."

I gasped into the phone. This was the last thing I expected. Now Riku and I would be in the same grade. I'm out of ammo. Perfect. "Umm... alright."

"But you're grounded." I could've sworn I heard them laughing.

I was almost used to being grounded so much for something really small and unreasonable- like not doing the dishes or not taking out the garbage, so I don't know what happened in my head when I heard their response. "What am I grounded for THIS time?" I mumbled into the phone.

"You should've skipped _two_ grades." They said in unison.

That pushed me over the edge. "What? You guys, you _know _it's practically impossible to skip more than one grade at a time!" I fought another threat of tears. "You know what? Just send all my stuff over to the school. I'm DONE with you two!" I quickly hung up the phone, not willing to give them time to answer.

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**...I have nothing to say... Review...**


	4. Please Come to the Office

**...Did you read chapter 3?**

**Disclaimer:**

**FAN****fiction. In other words, no I don't own anything except for the plot, Rose, and her parents...**

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Chapter 4: Please Come to the Office

Riku slowly walked into the room. "Rose? Are you okay?"

I paused for a moment, holding my phone so tightly that I'm worried it will break if my grip gets any tighter. I looked up at him and smiled sadly. "Surprise!" I said in a soft tone just above a whisper. "I'm skipping a grade. Great, right?"

Riku sat down next to me and sighed. "Yeah, that's good. But Rose, there's something else on your mind, isn't there?"

He sure did know how to get to the point. I dropped my smile and looked into his viridian eyes. "You guessed it. I've got a question to ask you." I paused, not sure how I should continue. "Could I stay over at your house until I find the funds to get my own place?" I decided that jumping straight to the point would be the best option.

Riku was genuinely shocked by what I said. "Umm... of course, but why?"

I only needed a handful of words to explain this. "My parents shoved me off the cliff of tolerance and I told them to send my stuff here."

"Oh. Did you tell them about your knee and Siefer?" Riku seemed pretty concerned.

"Tch." I made a noise. "Like they would listen to me. That's why I would never ask anyone for help. When I had a problem, it was up to me to solve it. I would always try to tell them- my 'parents'- but they wouldn't listen. I was just that noise in the back of their heads, that one you always try to zone out. My real parents probably wouldn't have done that to their only child." As soon as I finished talking, I threw a hand over my mouth. My real parents... no one was supposed to know to know about them- not even Riku.

I was hoping Riku didn't catch my last sentence; it was barely audible. But, Riku being Riku, of course he heard it. "Real parents, Rose?" This was all he needed to say for me to understand the question perfectly.

I sighed and decide to be blunt and flat out tell him what happened. "I'm adopted. My real parents were killed in a car crash that happened when I was in first grade. I came home to find my uncles and aunts there, and they told me what happened. I cried for days; and sometimes I still do cry." I sighed and took a small purple barrette out of my hair. "This barrette is all I have left to remember my dad, and this bracelet," I fingered the golden chain around my wrist, "is all I have left of my mom. After their funeral, I got bounced between family members, and finding out that they either didn't have enough time for me or just didn't want me was pretty hard on me." I laughed sadly. "They made me pretty anti-social, but then I met you guys, and now I could just talk all day." I was trying to exclude certain things from my explanation. Like, how when I was being tossed between houses I never had time to make any friends, and I didn't even mention the adoption center. All those days of sitting there feeling unwanted, while everyone around you got picked. How old was I when all this happened? When it started, when my parents died, eight. Now I'm 15, and I don't have any parents at all. But I do know that when I was 13, I finally got adopted and was taken to Twilight Town. I don't remember what the family was like; it's been 2 years since I saw them last. All I know is that they put me back up for adoption after the 'events of Siefer,' saying they couldn't handle 'teen heartbreak.' But I wasn't heartbroken. Just forever wounded. After a few months, I got adopted with the family I have now. Or, more like, the family I _had._

I looked at Riku. He seemed to be listening thoroughly, even though I had stopped talking. He nodded and put a finger up to his lips, as if to silence my thoughts. It surely worked, because I was able to keep my attitude in check when the nurse walked in and mumbled, "Get a room, you two."

I almost snapped at her. All Riku and I were doing was sitting next to each other and talking. What was so bad about that? "So, how about my knee? What's the diagnostic?" I forced out instead.

This seemed the only thing she wanted to talk about. She walked back into the hallway and came back with what looked somewhat like crutches. I could tell they weren't completely put together. Then, my eyes widened as realization hit me.

We had to put them together by hand. I tensed up. Riku must've noticed, because he grabbed my hand and squeezed it softly. I squeezed back, using my self control not to run of the clinic screaming about how wierd my life is. There were only four reasons not to. My injury would probably have me sitting by the wall before I even got a yard down the hall. Riku's grip seemed to be soft, but was really impenetrable. If I could bolt, he would be dragged along with me. It would be rude to leave the nurse standing there anyway, after all she's done for us. Plus, when I did bolt, there would surely be people there to see it. They would tell other people, and the chain would spread out all over the school of my major freak-out, earning me much more attention than I would prefer to have. Man, I'll have _enough_ attention with Riku rolling me around everywhere; and Riku probably doesn't want to deal with all the drama that's in my life, but he _has_ to anyway because I dragged him into all this. I feel like such a horrible person.

I looked at Riku's hand. It was starting to turn red. I felt my face get hot. "Ahh, sorry Riku! I didn't know I was holding your hand that tightly!" I whispered so only he could hear me. I tried to unravel our hands, but his grip only got tighter, as if I was the only thing anchoring him to the ground, and if he let go he'll be stuck on he ceiling.

"Don't let go." He said, matching my soft tone. "If you do, I might just go running down the hall. You seem so calm."

I laughed under my breath. "Calm? I'm probably anything _but._" In a few seconds I snapped back into reality and realized that the nurse was explaining what life would be like with crutches. She went into so much detail, it made me wonder if she was speaking from personal experience.

I slowly raised my free hand. I knew I didn't have to, but it only seemed right for me to do so. I cleared my throat to make sure I had her attention.

"Yes, Rose?" She looked at me and smiled. "Although you really don't have to raise your hand. This is a clinic, not a classroom."

I felt my face get hot as I asked, "Are we... going to get a packet or something for all this? I'll probably have forgotten everything you said in about a day. Sorry." I didn't know why I apologized, I just felt the need to, I guess.

The nurse nodded. "I'll take that apology as an apology in advance for something bad that I know you'll do." She winked at me. "And yes, you will get a packet."

She continued explaining. I was starting to get bored. How long could one woman talk about crutches? My mind began to wander, running circles around my parents, Siefer, and what Riku's house is like.

My mind rested on Riku's house. I wondered if it was like him, organized and quiet. What if it was the exact opposite of that, and Riku had younger siblings? I wouldn't know; Riku doesn't talk about himself much, and when he _does,_ it's never enough to know a lot about him. Hmm. But wait, he _does_ have a little sister, doesn't he? In... 5th grade? Oh, yeah, that's right. I just hope she's not too bad.

Before I could imagine what Riku's house might look like, my mind jumped to Siefer. If he could do _this_ to me with just a small knife, who knows what he could do if he got his hands on something _more_ dangerous?

I refused to think about him any longer. My mind flung itself to the last place it could go to; my parents. What if they didn't bring my stuff like I asked them to? Well, I wasn't exactly _asking,_ but I got the message across, right? I don't even want to imagine what would happen if I had to go back home to pick up my stuff. Can you say awkward? Even more so with Riku there having to help me with everything.

I jumped when I heard a loud beep over the intercom. This was a school-wide announcement. I began to settle down. Maybe it was just something about the soccer game or something. I tensed up when I heard my name over the speaker.

"Rosalina Williams, please come to the front office. Rosalina Williams, please come to the front office." The computerized voice said my name twice. That was two times too many.

I looked at Riku, who was staring at the nurse, who was rummaging around the room for something. Is she getting the bandages for my knee? My knee.

My knee! I had completely forgotten about it! Well, it was _mostly_ forgotten. I looked down at it and winced. I had to be glad for the school uniform's skirt being above my knee, because there was a line of dried blood running all the way down my leg and into my shoe. Gah, that's great. Now I have to buy new socks and order new shoes from the school website.

I gasped and squirmed a little. The nurse had put a wet ball of fluff on my knee. It must have been a cotton ball she dipped in alcohol, because almost any other liquid wouldn't sting half as much.

Letting go of Riku's hand now was not an option. I squeezed his hand tightly, and he squeezed back, returning my grip. I glued my eyes shut as I felt the nurse cleaning up my leg.

After a few more minutes of pain, the scent of alcohol burning in the air, I heard my name over the intercom again, but it sounded a bit more urgent. "Rosalina Williams, please come to the front office. Rosalina Williams, please come to the front office."

After the nurse finished wrapping up my knee, I realized something. How was I supposed to get to the front office if I can't walk, and the crutches aren't fixed? My answer was sitting right next to me. Before I could react, I was in Riku's arms and we were walking down an empty hallway.

Riku held me 'bridal style,' with my shoulders supported by his right arm and his left arm slipped under my knees. I leaned into him as the sign for the front office came into view. I had to be glad there was a separate room for guest to go into when they came to the school.

When we walked into the front office, I refused to meet the woman at the desk's gaze. She instantly knew who we were. She ushered us down a long hallway until we came to a big ebony door. Riku muttered a barely audible thanks, and I smiled the most of a smile I could at a time like this. The woman nodded and opened the door, allowing Riku and I to walk inside and confront my parents.

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**Does this story seem more realistic to you now? Crutches instead of a wheelchair? Reveiw?**


	5. This Was His Fault

**...I hate Rose's adoptive parents... but that was the point so...**

**Disclaimer:**

**Disclaimed.**

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Chapter 5: This Was His Fault

Riku put me down in one of the two chairs in the room and turned to leave. I grabbed his arm. "Don't go. I don't think I'll be able to stand them for more than 5 minutes without you." I whispered under my breath.

I had to stay quiet because we had an audience, but even if they saw, even if they heard, they wouldn't care enough to remember. Riku sat down in an empty seat. It was the only empty one, and it was about 2 yards away from me. I knew by the way that he looked at the people in front of us that he would get involved in this if he needed to.

I took a deep breath and looked forward. The couple sitting directly across the room from us, behind a wooden desk that was about 3 feet up off the ground, claimed they were my parents. I disagreed strongly, forced to cooperate - in a way - so I could have a roof over my head. Two sets of navy blue eyes focused themselves on me and only me; as if Riku weren't even there. They probably knew he was there, but were ignoring him because they thought he was intimidating.

I know I did. Don't blame me; I'm 5 foot 5 and he's got a good 5 inches on me. Some would say that its bad to be afraid of you boyfriend, but I'm not afraid of him. Well, I _used_ to be, but that was before we started dating. When I say he's intimidating, I meant for others, not for me.

I saw the man I used to call dad shift uncomfortably in his chair, as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. The feeling's mutual, dad. Even though I hated both of them, I would have to say 'Dad' was my favorite.

I rolled my eyes, growing bored of this _silence._ "Well? Did you bring my stuff?" I really didn't care that I was being rude. They deserved it, and they know it.

My 'mom' pulled something out from the behind the desk. It ws a giant red suitcase. My grip on the arm of the chair tightened. That was my suitcase, the same suitcase that held all my belongings, th same and only suitcase I had when I was jumping between houses. I looked at it.

It was barren; not in a good way. It used to be so polychromatic, what with all the stickers I used to put on it and all the charms I would attach to the zipper. All of it was gone. What did they do to it? All those memories that I could look back on and actually smile had been torn away from me. Those stickers- bumper stickers, picture stickers, pencils and hearts and whatever- and those charms- the horse, the American Flag, the smiley face- all of it- gone. The only reminders of those happy memories... thrown out the window.

I stared down at my feet, willing the threat of angry tears away and fighting to keep my tone even. "Th-thanks."

"Well? Are you going to come get it?" My 'mom' asked impatiently.

My face drained of color as I tried to come up with an excuse. What could I say? They would never understand what I went through. "I..."

"I'll get it." Riku said firmly and got up.

I tried to get up with him, but he stopped me. 'Just let me handle this,' his gaze told me. I surrendered and slumped in my chair as Riku retrieved my suitcase.

My parents let it slide, but they decided to take the bandage on my knee into account. "What's that?" My 'dad' jabbed a finger at my right knee while Riku sat down.

"Since when do you care?" I snapped, shaking my head.

My 'dad' rolled his eyes as my 'mom' got up and walked over to my chair. I leaned back, trying to keep my distance from her. The fact that the chair was plastic and already pushed up against the wall wasn't helping my escape. She knocked her knee into mine and I gritted my teeth. "What's that?" She demanded.

"Do you really want to know?" Riku's voice intruded into the room, his calmness seeming so out of place. My 'mom' shot him a glare and I looked at him alarmingly.

My 'mom' moved to get up in Riku's face, but I grabbed her wrist and held it tightly so she couldn't walk any farther. "Don't." I simply said.

"Let go of me, Rosalina." she growled at me.

I blinked at the name. "Don't call me that," The name stung and brought back too many memories. "And don't get any closer to Riku." I know I sounded pretty overprotective, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want Riku to get hurt or for him to catch her crazy or her mean. I can tell, it's contagious.

"I _said _let go." 'Mom' growled again, tugging on her arm to try and free it from my grip.

But I won't have that. "And _I_ said no." I said simply. I smiled a little on the inside. Standing up to them like this had been something I was waiting to do for a long time.

My 'mom' tugged on final time, with more strength than I expected. The momentum was too strong and I was being brought to my feet. I let out a small gasp. I couldn't even stand back in the clinic, so what was going to happen now?

Everything happened in fast-forward after that. My 'mom' finally removed her wrist from my grip, and Riku seemed to switch places with her. In an instant he was by my side and helping me back into my chair. I hadn't even hit the ground yet and he was there. It was phenomenal how fast he could move. Maybe he was the right person to help me out with some crutches.

Riku was _not_ happy now. I could tell by the way he pushed the empty chair next to mine and sat protectively in it, glaring at the people in front of us. I gripped the arm of my chair tightly. What was going to happen now that Riku's attitude was inflamed?

I felt sweat beading on my forehead. I knew that, as soon as I walked out of this room, I would be pelted with questions. I fought to stay calm. Why did my 'parents' always have to make everything so dramatic?

"Rose, you never answered our question. What. Is. That?" My 'dad' said in a gruff tone. At least he called me 'Rose' instead of 'Rosalina.'

"Do you really want to know?" I replied softly, trying to mimic Riku's calmness.

My 'mom' glared at me. "What do you think?" She spat, rubbing her wrist resentfully.

"I'll take that as a yes, then." I said, forcing myself to release my grip on the chair.

Riku grabbed my hand and whispered under his breath so only I could hear him. "Rose, you don't have to do this."

I shook my head ever so slightly. "No. This is something I need to do for myself and for you. I'll never be able to get over this- over _them_ if you do this for me or if it's not done at all. I just want to finish this, but you have my permission to drag me out if it comes to that." I gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand.

My 'parents' sat quietly and waited for me to start explaining, to my surprise. Usually they would be yelling at me, telling me to get on with it. I took a deep breath and began to organize my thoughts.

I can't say too much; it'll make them get bored and lose interest. Short and sweet, short and sweet. But this explanation was not and could not be sweet in any way, shape, or form. The lightbulb in my head flickered on when I realized I could explain this in less than 5 words. "This was Siefer's fault."

Two pairs of navy blue eyes widened in surprise, and I smiled smugly on the inside. I'm glad I could get to the point _and _get the message across. With them, doing both of those was quite the task. I managed it almost effortlessly.

"Siefer did _that?_" My 'mom' pointed at my knee. Did they actually know how serious it was?

"Yes, he _did_ do this. With his Swiss Army pocketknife, Siefer cut my knee." I know 'cut' wasn't a strong enough word for what he did, but what else could I say?

My 'dad' blinked a few times, as if realizing something. "That can't be true. Siefer wouldn't do that. Especially not to you." He smiled a bit, as if he had won an imaginary argument.

"No, I think you've got the wrong person in mind." This time I did smile smugly. "The person you're describing, the person who wouldn't do something like this, is Riku. I think we all know Seifer would do something like that, _especially_ Riku and I."

"Because Rose and I were actually there when it happened." Riku knew exactly how to tie the explanation together.

My 'parents' shook their heads in disbelief. "You're lying! You _have to be _lying!" My 'mom' practically yelled.

I shook my head. "No, I'm really not."

Just then, my phone stated to ring. I dug it out of my bag, giving my 'parents' a few minutes to get their brains working again. I looked at the caller-ID. Unknown. I don't usually answer 'unknowns' but, for some strange reason, I clicked the green talk button. "Hello?"

I blinked at the voice on the other side of the line. "Rose?"

"S-Siefer? How do you k-know my n-number?" Why was I stuttering? "Umm... H-hold on."

I slowly set the phone on my lap, trying my best to keep myself from throwing it against the wall and breaking it. I typed in the code to the app I downloaded that allows the other person on the line during a phone call to listen to music. I skimmed through the song list until I found 'Love on Top' by Beyoncé. I increased the volume enough to drown out my voice, but not loud enough to blow out Siefer's ear drums.

Riku grabbed my hand and I squeezed his. Why did my phone always have to ring at the worst possible moments?

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**I can't say anything since all of you have already read all of the chapters...**

**Review...**


	6. A Lose-Lose Situation

**Look, it turns out that chap. 5 actually got shorter... Hmm.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: ...**

**Sora: ...**

**Riku: ...**

**Squeenix: Court-chan doesn't own Kingdom Hearts...**

**Me: TT_TT**

**Riku: ...**

**Sora: ...**

**Me: Why are you still here when you should be reading? **

**Sora: Because you extended the disclaimer...**

**Riku: ...**

**Me: ...**

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Chapter 6: A Lose-Lose Situation

I looked at Riku. "What now?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Might as well see what he wants. Should I get them to leave?" He motioned to my 'parents' and added, "But it they have to leave, I'll leave too."

I shook my head. "No. I don't want anyone to leave. Especially not you."

Riku looked concerned, and the feeling met his eyes, too. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, squeezing his hand again. "They need to hear this, and I need you in case I break down again. The _last _thing I need to do is to try and handle the waterworks alone."

Riku nodded and turned to my 'parents.' "You should listen." To my surprise, the nodded and seemed to be trying to get comfortable.

It was so quiet in the small room, as if no one even dared to breathe. I took a deep breath slowly and steadily, and stopped the song. I pulled the phone up to my ear. "Hey, Siefer, you still there?"

"Yeah. Rose? Can I ask you a question?" Siefer's voice was soft.

I raised an eyebrow, though I knew he couldn't see it. "Sure. What is it?"

Siefer sighed into the phone. "Where are you?"

My eyes widened a little. "Why do you need to know?"

I could almost see him shrug. "I have something I need to tell you."

I rolled my eyes. "Why can't you just tell me now?"

He sighed again. "I need to talk to you in person. Could you please just tell me where you are?" I heard some clicks coming from the other side of the line, but I ignored them. Siefer sounded pretty desperate.

I rolled my eyes again and heaved a sigh. "I'm in the front office at school."

I could practically see the smile on his face. "Great! I'll be there in a few minutes."

My eyes widened. "What?! S-Siefer, you don't need to-" I stopped myself when I heard a beep from the phone, telling me that Siefer had hung up. _Wonderful. Just wonderful, _I thought.

I sighed heavily and audibly, stuffing my phone back into my bag. Riku put a hand on my shoulder. "What just happened?" He asked me.

"Siefer's on his way to come talk to me." I sounded excited in a boring way.

I saw my 'dad' open his mouth to say something, but I beat him to the punch. "Don't say anything. You guys have done what you needed to do by bringing me my stuff, right? Then you can leave now."

Without a word, they got up and left. I took a deep breath. They were finally gone, out of sight and out of mind. At least, for now. As they left, I got a haunting feeling that they would be back soon.

I shrugged it off and looked at Riku. He was looking at me with a genuinely concerned gaze. Just that look made me sigh sadly. "I'm sorry for pulling you into all this, Riku."

He shook his head. "You don't have to apologize."

I shook mine in return. "Yes, I do. It's my fault you had gotten dragged so deep into my problems."

He sighed and said, "I don't care. In fact, I almost _enjoy_ getting dragged into your problems. It's like riding an emotional rollercoaster. It puts more... _excitement_ in my life. I would be a very boring person without you, Rose."

But I still fought. "But what about Sora and Kairi? They're pretty exciting people, too."

"Not exactly. They've changed since they started going out. It seems like all they ever want to do is be with the other one or wonder how the other one is doing or fret over whether or not the other one will like their gift." Riku rolled his eyes. "It can get boring."

My eyes widened a little. "They don't act that way around me."

Riku held my hand. "They don't act like that around you because you're _you. You _are an exciting person who always has something to talk about. _You_ always know when to speak and when to listen. _You_ are a wonderful person, and _you_ are the best girlfriend I could ever have. You shouldn't ever think any less of yourself." He smiled at me.

I could've sworn my heart nearly cracked. Was he saying those things just to cheer me up or did he really mean them? Before now, I hadn't really thought much about myself, focusing more on other people and making sure I do the right thing so I can make a good impression. "Really? Do you really mean that?"

Riku nodded. "I do."

I felt my eyes start to water, burning with tears. "Thank you, Riku."

He pulled me into a hug. "Don't mention it."

One tear trailed down my cheek as I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him back. Right after we let go of each other, I heard some knocking on the door. It could only be Siefer. Thank god the door didn't have a window. Siefer couldn't see Riku and I being all lovey-dovey, and I'm glad because he can't because he would totally freak if he could.

"It's time." I said, wiping my face.

Riku nodded and got up to answer the door. It must have taken a lot of self control for Riku and Siefer not to strangle each other when the door opened. When Siefer entered the room, I saw he had some stuff banging against his right leg inside his pocket.

In the suspense of the moment, my body chose not to register pain and I stood up. Riku looked at me alarmingly. I let my comforting gaze tell him that I was fine. I walked up to Siefer, stuck out my hand for him to shake, and smiled. How I did that, smiling at this person who hurt me so much, I don't know.

Siefer nonchalantly accepted my hand and shook it calmly, smiling back at me. I had to keep myself from pulling away from his touch. "So, Siefer, what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

Riku walked over next to me as Siefer reached into his pocket and took a few steps back. I stood there calmly, though I couldn't help the jaw-drop that followed when Siefer took action.

Siefer had pulled a small, navy blue box out of his pocket and was kneeling on one knee in front of me. I felt sweat beading on my forehead. He's not doing what I _think_ he is, is he? I held my breath, and I swear my heart shattered into a million pieces at the next words I heard.

"Rosalina Williams, will you marry me?" Siefer opened the small box, revealing a golden ring with a small diamond inlaid in the center, poking up just the slightest bit.

He did.

I was about to say no, but my words held in my throat when I heard a few clicks and Siefer pulled something black out of his pocket. The small handgun was pointed at Riku.

Siefer sighed and said, "You should say yes."

I saw Riku prepare to say something, but I held up a finger and gave him a look that said, 'I can handle this.' But I really couldn't.

"What if I say no?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.

Siefer nodded towards Riku. "Then he can suffer for your mistakes."

I knew what he meant as soon as the words came out of his mouth. If I said yes, I would be forced to marry Siefer. If I said no, Siefer would murder Riku. That was a lose-lose situation.

I felt a steady hand on my shoulder. Riku's calming voice intruded my thoughts. "Rose, you don't have to do this."

That's what? The third time I've heard that today? I know Riku just wants to protect me, keep me safe, but he can't handle everything... Can he?

I shook my head and fought the almost overpowering threat of tears. "No, Riku. I don't want you to die because of me. You've got a long life ahead of you, and I want you to live it."

Siefer cleared his throat a little, as if to remind Riku and I he was there. "Rose, I need you to make up your mind..." He sounded playful in a boring way.

"My answer," I took a step forward as a tear streamed down my face, "Is yes." If it was even possible, I think my heart shattered again. I knew that all my dreams of being together forever with Riku had been not thrown, but flung off the top of a 30-story building. It was all I could do not to run out of the room, go hide somewhere, and bawl my eyes out.

Despite my obvious sadness, Siefer smiled and said, "Hold out your right hand."

I did as I was told, not wanting to disobey anything as he still had the weapon pointed at Riku. Siefer slid the ring on my ring finger. I held out my other hand. Siefer looked at me questioningly. "Give it." I said firmly, pointing at the black death-device.

Reluctantly, Siefer handed me the gun. I took it from him, careful to avoid the trigger button. Just to be sure nothing would happen, I found and clicked on the safety. I began to fumble with it. Where on earth was I supposed to put a weapon like this? _I_ surely didn't want to keep it; it had already caused too much trouble and I never, _ever_ even wanted to see it again. The was _no way _Siefer was getting this thing back; he could still probably do something really serious even _with_ the safety on. Sora and Kairi and anyone else who doesn't know about this is out of the question. I don't even think Riku would take it; to have to take a weapon that was pointed at you must be so horrible. But you would know exactly what it does first-hand. I internally shook my head. I was in _no_ position to be asking Riku for favors. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. It could be none other than Riku.

Would I still be able to face him after what just happened? I wished I could just grab Riku and just hold him in my arms, then just take him, with me, to a place where Siefer couldn't find us and hurt us anymore. Where nothing could hurt us anymore. But I knew I couldn't. I knew there was nowhere that we could run to where Siefer couldn't follow. With tears beginning to fill my eyes, I turned and looked over my shoulder so green and viridian could meet. With my gaze locked in his, I couldn't stop what happened next.

I threw myself at Riku. I think I heard the gun go flying across the room and hit a wall, but I could care less about it or what Siefer would think or about the rest of the world. It was only me and Riku right now. I could tell Riku was shocked, but he still caught me nonetheless. "R-Riku, I'm _so _s-sorry! It's all my f-fault!" I said, sobbing into his chest.

Riku hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear, running a hand through my hair. "Shh, Rose. It's okay, it's okay... You don't have to apologize. This was something that was out of your control. There's no way I could blame you for any of this."

I couldn't believe this. He still trusted me, forgave me, after all that I've done. "Thank you." Was all I could say, was all I could think to say.

"Don't mention it." Riku said as he let me go.

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**Dengit Seifer! ...You made me cry... TT_TT Reveiw!**


	7. A Random Happiness

**The final redone chapter! I think the reason why my new chaps are shorter than the old ones is because of the A/N beig shorter... *shrug***

**Disclaimer: **

**Don't own.**

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Chapter 7: A Random Happiness

Siefer cleared his throat again, obviously getting annoyed by the fact that we keep forgetting he's there. "Umm... Rose? Engaged much?" He said, waving around his right hand, revealing a silver band around his ring finger.

Warning bells went off in my head, telling me that I shouldn't do this, but I ignored them. I stormed over to Siefer, closing the gap between us in just a few steps. "Look, I _know _I'm engaged. I'm not stupid. But if you think that I'm going to leave this room without saying good-bye to Riku first, you've got another thing coming." I huffed, sticking my finger in his face.

Siefer seemed taken aback by my sudden emotional outburst, but quickly recovered with a sigh. "Alright then. Do what you want, but I'll be back." With that, Siefer got up and walked out of the room. I saw something was banging against his right leg again, and I knew he had gotten his little handgun back.

So much for keeping it out of the wrong hands...

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself and shake off this foreboding feeling I got as I watched him leave. I lifted up my right hand and glared at the ring around my finger. That unforgiving little thing has caused so much to happen in the little amount of time that I've seen it...

Suddenly, I felt my legs begin to turn to jelly as some of the pain from my cut knee started to come back. To me, it seemed like it happened in slow motion, and I began to fall backwards. I didn't even try to catch myself. The floor can't be _that_ hard, right?

I smiled internally when Riku caught me. I then realized that I was in no position where I could be carried to the nearest chair. If he did that, I would ultimately end up in his lap, and- even though I don't know what it means- it would make us both feel awkward. As if he could read my thoughts, Riku gently set me on the floor- which mind you was actually _harder_ then it looked- and sat down, cross-legged, in front of me. He looked at me, obviously concerned, and asked the one question I figured I would be hearing a lot after today, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I responded with a sigh. After a few moments, I asked him a question that I already knew the answer to, but was just in need of a second opinion. "Riku?"

He hummed. "Hm?"

I looked away and asked, "Am I going to be hearing that question a lot after today?"

Riku shrugged. "I really can't say yes, but I can't say no, either. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"I guess so." I smiled sadly and shrugged back. "But whatever happens... _happens, _right?" I said. I couldn't think of anything else to say. But really, what _was_ there to say?

"Yeah, that's true." Riku said.

Just then, I remembered something that made me smile a little. "Riku? I'm still staying at your house, right?"

I saw the way Riku's eyes lit up at what I had said. "Uh... yeah, I guess so."

I scooted over next to him. With a small smile, I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed, "That's good. I can't wait to see what your house looks like."

Riku positioned himself so he could put an arm around me and still keep us propped up. "I thought you knew."

I shook my head and looked up at him. "Nope. I told you I've never been to your house before." It really surprised me, that I hadn't even so much as seen Riku's house before. But he's been to my house plenty of times.

Riku shrugged, the movement returning me from my thoughts. "Then that leaves all the more room for a nice surprise." Riku then shifted and got up, almost causing me to fall over. I fixed myself before he could notice, though, and when he turned back around he held out his hand to help me up. "We should go. We wouldn't want to keep the nurse waiting, now would we?" He said jokingly.

I shook my head and chuckled, but still grabbed his hand and got up. "Don't remind me!"

I stumbled a little from a small pain in my knee after I was pulled up, but I quickly regained my balance. I could only find it in me to stay fixed to the spot I was in while Riku started for the door.

He looked back at me when he realized that I wasn't following him. "What's wrong, Rose?"

I bit my lip. "My knee. Should I really be walking on it?" I knew this was a really stupid question, what with all the walking that I had already done on it. Wasn't now a bad time to be concerned about it?

Riku shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's completely fine by me if you can't walk. I wouldn't mind carrying you again."

I looked at him questioningly. "But... aren't I heavy?" I asked.

It was Riku's turn to give the questioning looks. "Heavy? Rose, you weigh just about the same as a feather!"

I looked away from him, wondering if I should take this as a compliment or an insult. "Uhh... Thanks?" I said uncertainly, chosing to take it as a compliment.

Riku just chuckled and walked over, somewhat near me, standing about 3 or 4 yards away. "Okay, so how about this. If you can get this far without any problems, then I'll let you walk to the nurse's office." He held out his arms as if he was going to give me a hug. "Deal?" He asked, tilting his head a little.

I nodded and smiled. "Deal." Slowly, I began to take my first step, really not expecting what was to come. I inhaled sharply as my right foot came down, as that was the leg that had a knife placed into it. I do not mean that metaphorically.

Riku flinched forward, as if getting the urge to just run over to me, sweep me off my feet, and just carry me to the nurse's office, but then holding it back. He mumbled something I couldn't quite catch and took a small step back.

I took another step forward, knowing this was the leg that got out of my little 'predicament' unscathed. I could only hope it stayed that way for as long as possible. I took a deep breath and took one more step forward. I expected a sharp stab of pain, I really did, but all that came was a sort of tingling feeling. I mentally grinned as I progressively got closer and closer to Riku. I almost let out a small chuckle when I realized what I was about to say. "Lookit Riku! I'm walking! Actually _walking!_" No, I'm not going to say that. It just screams _2-year-old._

Riku smiled at me and said, "Just a little bit further, Rose, you're almost there!" Huh. I guess it's okay to act like a 2-year-old every once in a while.

When I was about a foot away, and I was sure I could make it, I stopped walking, planted my feet, and jumped forward, right into Riku's arms. I smiled brightly and hugged him tightly. "Riku, I did it!" I chirped.

"Hey, that's cheating. You didn't finish that extra foot." He smirked and laughed little, hugging me back.

"But I can still walk!" I said with a small pout. "So now I don't need crutches, right?"

"I guess not, but..." He sighed.

"We're still going to get them, aren't we?" I asked, my smile slowly fading. Still gotta go back to the clinic. Yippee.

Pssh.

"Yeah. The nurse went through a lot for us; the _least_ we could do is make all the time we spent worthwhile and not a waste of her and our time. And she probably worked really hard on those crutches for us; we should take them..." Riku said, trying to reason with me.

My smile crawled back onto my face. "Riku, do you know how mean that sounds?"

Riku blinked a little but then smirked. "Rose, you know that's not what I meant."

I laughed, suddenly feeling extremely happy. How did that happen? "I know. C'mon, let's go get those crutches!"

I placed a small kiss on Riku's cheek, slipped out of his grasp, and started walking towards the door. I opened it and turned around to see if Riku was following me. Said person was just standing there with the most idiotic look on his face, arms still spread out from the hug earlier. "That's so cute." I said in a voice below a whisper.

I slowly began to walk out the door. Riku blinked and shook his head, as if returning to Earth from some kind of dreamland. When he noticed I was almost out the door, he fumbled and struggled to catch up. But I was already down the hall by the time he got to the door. "H-hey, wait up, Rose!" He called after me.

I just giggled and practically danced out of the front office with Riku following close behind, trying to keep up. I smiled brightly at the lady behind the front desk, and she looked back at me as if she had just seen a unicorn. But nonetheless, she still smiled back, and although the smile seemed a bit forced, and she even threw in a wave. At least, that's what it looked like from where I was. She might have been reaching for the phone to call a doctor or something to give me some medicine that'll help me calm down.

I doubt it would work, though.

Outside my mind, I was acting like someone who had _way_ too much sugar in their cereal bowl this morning. I could imagine myself, eating a bowl of Rice Krispies and putting the sugar in, and then Riku walking in and being all like, "Do you want some cereal with your sugar?" On the outside, I was on a sort of sugar high, although I haven't had any sugar today. Inside my mind, though, I was mentally screaming, fussing, and yelling at myself, trying to gain back a small part of all the self-control that I had oh-so-easily lost. Just enough self-control... Just enough to stop dancing.

I wondered how I could act so happy with such a shattered heart and all these bad things looming over my head. Engagement, moving, injuries, grade skipping.

And stupidity. Always the lovely stupidity.

I was all bubbly and happy; I couldn't _not_ giggle for more than 5 minutes straight. After some time, Riku finally caught me, lightly grabbing my arm to bring me to a halt. "You're really happy all of a sudden..." He said, sounding confused. But I could hear the undertone of relief. He was happy that I was happy.

This only made me happier. I giggled and shrugged, feeling absolutely carefree for unknown reasons. "I guess I am."

He smirked and playfully rubbed my head. "Okay then." I giggled a little again and swatted is hand away, and Riku added, "By the way, the clinic is that way." He turned and pointed in the direction we came from.

I blinked as I regained self-control. "Oh. I uhh... I knew that. I was just... taking a detour, a happy and dance-y detour, that's all." I tried to cover for my random happiness. When I looked back up at Riku I sighed and gave up trying to make a cover story when I saw his smirk had grown into a grin. I turned and walked slowly the way Riku had pointed, keeping myself in check so I don't send Riku chasing after me again.

He walked up beside me and held my hand. "Whatever you say, Rose."

I smiled up at him. After a few minutes of just walking on in silence, we came to an intersection. Feeling the happiness in me building up again, I asked him, "Race you to the clinic?"

Riku's smirk slowly crawled back onto his face. "I thought you were worried about your knee."

"After all that dancing and stuff? I think not. So? Race or no race?"

Riku got into a sort of kneeling position, as if he was about to run a race. Which he was. "You're on."

I had a mini celebration in my head as I aligned myself with him. "Get ready..." I started.

"Get set..." Riku joined in.

"GO!" We both said at the same time, bolting off. Instead of taking a right to get to the clinic, though, we ran straight through the intersection, then took a left at the next one we cam we came across, and then we ran down a hallway that was longer than all the others. The end of the hallway was a dead end, as I suspected. But the race was not over yet; upon coming across a dead end we simply turned around and ran past another two intersections, which mind you we didn't know were there when we passed the first time. We swerved right at the a third intersection, and left at a fourth, me nearly running into the wall on both counts.

After running into the fifth dead end of this race, if you could call it that anymore, Riku and I were out of breath. After a few minutes, we were able to breathe properly, and we were about to start running again when realization dawn on us. We had no idea where we were. I looked at Riku, he looked back at me and after about 10 seconds we burst out laughing.

We walked thought the hall, laughing so hard we almost cried. We could only compose ourselves long enough to ask passerby where we were. But as soon as they got out of earshot, Riku and I burst into laughter again. Eventually, we came across a framed poster of the map of the school. Could it have had better timing? By now, Riku and I had calmed ourselves greatly. We studied the map, focusing on the big black dot on the map that said 'You are here.'

I frowned at the map. Pointing at the dot, I said, "We're here," I moved my finger, all the way to the other sie of the map where the 'clinic' box presided. "And the clinic is over here."

"On the other side of the school." Riku muttered. It almost sounded like one of those times where we were finishing each other's sentences.

"Wow... How far did we run?"

"I don't know."

"The other side of the school from the clinic..." I sighed.

"That's pretty far, but... There's still an unanswered question."

"And what would that be?"

"How did we _not_ get caught by a teacher or something, as loud as we were being?" Riku asked.

"I... I don't know."

"Well, it doesn't matter, I guess."

I nodded. "Yeah, we've got more important things to do, like..."

"Like getting to the clinic." Riku finished for me, smiling.

I smiled and grabbed his hand, my grip soft. I took the first step, beginning our journey across the school. "Right."

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**I hope that's a bit better, now... Review!**


	8. IMPORTANT INFO

**Hey guys! *waves and avoids the tomatoes being thrown* I'm just here to tell you that chap. 8 will probably be here soon, and that I redid all the other chapters... I realized that my A/N alone were 1,610 words so... I made them shorter... Also, the chapters are (should be) longer than the old ones... I fixed all the errors and was a little more descriptive and realistic... Like I took out the wheelchair thing... So yeah. Chapter 8 is actually prewritten, I just have to type it up from my journal and it shall be here! So wait few more days! :D *dodges more tomatoes and runs off the stage***

**If this note is illegal and will get this story taken from , I promise I'll take it down with the début of chap. 8. K bye! :D**

**~Electro**


	9. Dicontnued, but Don't Freak Out

**Hey guys, I'm so so so sorry, but this story is officially discontinued. It's not anything to do with writer's block, like my last discontinuation, because the story is going pretty well in my journal... It's just that... Well, this story has a lot of things that I want to fix... But that includes changing the main character. And the plot somewhat. And I don't think I should do that here, I feel like I should just put it in a different story entirely. Geez, I feel so horrible right now. I really thought that this story would be an awesome success and all that, but then I had a "writing growth spurt" and realized how bad it really was. To me, at least- there were 4 reviews that said otherwise. I'm sorry to those reviewers, ****butterflyfreak,****Black Night Shadow,**** and ****LouFF13KH2.**** I feel like I have to apologize to you guys the most, considering you guys were the only ones who actually took the time to review. *sighs***

**But, on the bright side, the newer version of this story will be much better. I've already got some stuff planned out. I'm going to try and make the chapters at least 11 pages long, which is about three thousand words per chapter. I think I can do it. There will be better character development, since the backstory thing didn't work, and there will be more canon. In other words, the main character, Rose, will become a supporting character that will appear somewhere in the story (sorry Rose!) and Xion will rise to take her place, since I see Xion and Riku as a SUPER CUTE couple. Don't hate. And, Rose was supposedly based on me because, when I wrote the first pages in my journal, I really only wanted a character that I could filter myself through and, by extension (and in my mind), also be dating Riku. Haha, yeah, I was a suuuper crazed fangirl back then. But Rose and I are almost nothing alike in terms of personality and history, but we look **_**sort of**_** alike. *laughs awkwardly* Anyways, I'm also giving the role of Seifer to someone else, because when I first starting writing this I hated Seifer, but now he's pretty cool. So, the role of Seifer will be given to the person in 358/2 Days that tormented Xion the most... *drumroll* SAIX! Saix will probably just as sadistic as Seifer was, if not more, and I only chose that role for him because of the relationship between Xion and himself in the actual game. Like, in my personal opinion, if they were together, Xion would have to be super innocent and unjudging to not see the monster that lies within Saix (is that too much?), or Saix would have to be a SUPER HUGE uber-softie, and the probability of that happening is like, when Gorons learn to swim, or Xehanort is suddenly friends with Sora, Riku, and Mickey. In other words, it's like that'll never happen. Anyways, um... Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, I was explaining what major roles would be changed...Actually, I have to go back to the topic of Saix. I know you guys are thinking, "Wait, Saix and Xion? But he's probably too old for her! That would be like, pedophilia!" Well, I don't know if I can do this, but I want to use Isa (from BBS) as Saix, but he still has Saix's name. And his eyes, since the green eyes are Axel's thing. Heehee, yeah It's confusing, ****but when you see the story it'll all make sense.**

**So, back to the role switching. Since Saix/Isa is now the main villan... he can't be the home room teacher. Woah, woah, I know, I never put that part of the story on FanFiction, but it was in the journal. Now the home room teacher is Lexaeus, since I needed someone big and quiet to take the place of Saix, and he was the one I thought of. So, yeah. That's all I can think of in terms of role switching. Now... ADDED ROLES!**

**Okay, so, I'm making either Yuffie Xion's sister or Tifa Xion's mother. So Xion's last name will either be Lockhart or Kisaragi. If Yuffie was Xion's sister, then Xion would probably live with her and either A) Not be adopted at all or B) Be adopted and just finding out about Yuffie. If Tifa if Xion's mother then Tifa will have thought to have died in a car crash, but she will really only be missing and appear later in the story, I think. And um, I think that's it for added roles. If I come up with any more I won't be able to tell you... Hehe.**

**So yeah, the bad part is, WABFWP is discontinued, but the good part is, I'm making another story to take its place. Here are the stats so far:**

Story Name: The Right Path

Game: Kingdom Hearts

Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Rating: T

Summary: The right path. It seems so hard to find. Will I ever be able to find the right path? Will my friends guide me the right way, or lead me into pain and destruction? Or will I be able to lead myself?

**So yeah. Also, that fic takes place before Xion (Rose) met Riku, so... There's really 2 ways this story can go...Actually, I know just how I want this story to go! Yay! So... Xion's dad, I might make him Cloud only because of Tifa, left the family when Yuffie was three and while Tifa was pregnant with Xion. Since I want Yuffie to be four years older than Xion, the following year Xion was born. Neither Tifa nor Yuffie told Xion about her dad's abandonment... and... Wait, why am I revealing some major plot points? Shoo now, I must write the story!**

**Again, I apologize for the discontinuation.**

**~Electro**


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